--- title: "Honda CEO Hints Combustion Engines Could Stick Around Until 2040" date: "2023-03-03" modified: "2023-03-03" authors: - name: "Jerry Perez" job_title: "Deputy Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/jerry-perez" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/honda-ceo-hints-combustion-engines-could-stick-around-until-2040" categories: - "Car Tech" - "Electric Vehicles" - "Honda News" - "News" - "News by Brand" --- # Honda CEO Hints Combustion Engines Could Stick Around Until 2040 ![]() *\Honda\* With nearly every car company pivoting to electric vehicles, automakers are having to simultaneously make [short- and long-term]() business decisions that fluctuate as the results unfold. Such is the case with [Honda](). Despite ramping up its EV development, the Japanese manufacturer is keeping realistic expectations about the longevity of the internal combustion engine, now [claiming]() that gasoline-powered vehicles could still be around by 2040. While visiting the Marysville, Ohio manufacturing complex, [Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe]() said Friday that investment into the development of electrification and fuel cells is a priority. However, he expects performance cars, trucks, and other heavy-duty vehicles will keep combustion engines for some time to come. “As we move toward carbon neutrality, we are focused on electrification and fuel cells—those are the two core components of future mobility," said Mibe according to *[Reuters]()*. "I’ve been in the engine development business for more than 30 years, so personally it’s a little threatening. But I have to separate my own feelings from what is best for the business.” ![]() **Getty** In a [conversation I had with Mibe last year](), he explained that Honda's ultimate goal is to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, which entails a lot more than just building EVs. A multi-faceted approach is required, involving combustion vehicles in markets where they make business and regulatory sense, while also focusing on EVs, hybrids, e-fuels, and hydrogen fuel cells for the rest of its portfolio. It's likely that Mibe's comments here focus on Honda's global purview rather than just North America's. Honda and Acura will be debuting two new EVs next year, the [Prologue]() and [ZDX](), both of which will call GM's Springfield, Tennessee, assembly plant home. According to *Reuters*, Mibe also confirmed that Honda is readying its own EV architectures separately from its partnership with GM, and those should arrive by 2026. *Got a tip? Email us at tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Jerry is responsible for upholding The Drive's ethos as an audience-first, enthusiast-driven car blog that serves up industry-leading news, reviews, culture, and motorsport coverage. Overseeing a staff of writers and editors from his home base in Indianapolis, he helps curate the site's daily rundown, as well as its medium- and long-term content strategies. Jerry joined The Drive in 2018 as a writer and worked as news editor and managing editor before becoming the deputy in 2023. As a lifelong car enthusiast and racing fan, Jerry believes that all cars are cool, but the people behind the machines are even cooler. This belief often gives The Drive a slightly different focus from most other car sites, where we explore the humanity behind the machines. When he's not obsessing over the day's biggest stories or hanging out at a race track, Jerry can be found behind the wheel of a car, most likely sharing a laugh with his teenage son or daughter. ### Author social links [Instagram]()